All Locked Up

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MONDAY: After our delightful stay in Columbus Marina we set out for more serious traveling. The Tom Bigbee has twelve locks and we have seven to go. There are few stopping places in this section of waterway so we got an early sunrise start to try and make four of the locks. Much to our dismay, we got behind a tow of barges and at every lock we had to wait for him to get through. Our speeds and the distances between locks aligned in such a way that we could never get far enough ahead of him to have first dibs at the locks. Mike and I really got into the lock routine and had the fenders dropped on both sides and lines ready for what would come as we entered each lock. Mike eased the boat to the bollard and I wound the line around and up we went 30 feet or so. Each lock took about thirty minutes but the “barge wait” took over an hour as the tow maneuvered his barges in and out of the lock. Our day started at 6:30AM and ended at 6:30PM docked at Midway Marina. We took their courtesy car to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.

TUESDAY: we had three locks, the last one being the “cave”, Witten Lock, with an 84’ rise. What a ride that was! Now there are no more locks until the Tennessee River. We decided to end our day early and turned into a pristine, clear water cove just after the lock in Sandy Bay and drop the hook. Linda & Fred rafted up and Linda and Mike took a swim. A nice evening meal together of grilled fish was a perfect ending to our busy lock adventures. Rain came in the night and washed the boats a little.

Entering Whitten Lock on Tom Bigbee.

Young America in Whitten Lock.

WEDNESDAY: Today brought some boat challenges. When I pulled the anchor it was loaded with a grass ball about the size of a small goat! Luckily it was soft and I pulled at the clump until it was gone. A little persistently hung from our anchor like a goatee! After about five minutes of cruising, I checked the engine room and we were getting a slight water spray from the starboard propeller shaft seal. Mike assessed the situation and we anchored in a near by cove to clean it. In a few minutes, it seemed okay so we took off into the narrow Tom Bigbee cut that is about 30 miles long with no place to stop. About half way along the bilge water alarm sounded. The shaft seal was leaking more but Mike said we could still continue as the bilge pump could more than handle it. The day ended early at 4:30PM at a beautiful anchorage in the Pickwick Lake right at the corners of the three states of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Mike cleaned and readjusted the leaking shaft seal but it continued dripping even at rest, a sure sign of damage. It’s a nearly new seal so who knows what could make it fail. We haven’t been aground or abused it in any way.

In the evening, Linda M. grilled hamburgers and we enjoyed another great meal together.

THURSDAY: Still in Zippy Cove, Mike spoke with the shaft seal manufacturer and we have a new one on the way at half price. It’ll arrive Monday. We’ve also made arrangements to haul out at Lee Spry boat yard nearby to replace it. They have a 100 ton lift, the largest between Mobil and Chicago, and have a great reputation for good service.

In the evening Fred & Linda M. and Mike & I took our two dinghys out to explore and to Let Louis ashore to sniff around and cruised over to Aqua Harbor Marina where we might move until Monday morning. Linda and Fred took their dinghy “Chucky” for a spin but ended up with their brand new propane powered outboard engine locked up and oozing oil. We towed them back to the boats. What a bummer!

Later we grilled chicken and shared a meal again. I will miss our dinners together when we part.

FRIDAY: We left Zippy Cove and tied up at the transient dock at Aqua Harbor Marina after lunch and the rain quit. Docking was easy, with little wind and a nice face dock. We visited the local restaurant with our “lock partners”, Ed & Janice from their cruiser “Eagle’s Nest”, for a really fun, animated dinner. They have a house here on Pickwick Lake and are a wealth of information about the area. 

Mike swimming in Zippy Cove.

Banks in Zippy Cove.

SATURDAY: Sight seeing is sparse here as the closest town is Iuka, Mississippi. However, the great Civil War Battle of Shilo was fought only 18 miles away and is now a a national military park. Linda M. and I took out the marina’s courtesy car for a tour of the battlefield. There was no entrance fee and it had a very nice visitor’s center and bookstore. On our way home we bought a pizza for dinner then watched Goldfinger.

SUNDAY: Drove to Corinth, Mississippi and saw the train tracks that crossed North and South and East and West in the middle of town and were a strategic object of the battle of Shilo during the Civil War. 

Crossing RR Tracks in Corinth.

MONDAY: Spent the day at Spry Boat Yard in Pickwick Lake sitting in a 100 ton boat lift while the leaking starboard shaft seal was replaced. Came into Spry’s at 11:00AM and we were out by 3:00PM. Mike was very pleased with the quality of work and the owners of the yard. Anchored near-by in Zippy Cove where Linda and Fred joined us. We rafted again and in the evening Linda had us over for another delicious meal.  

SeaDream in hoist getting shaft seal repaired.